Through the years practitioners in the toy arts have endeavored to provide a variety of add-on accessories to enhance the play value and amusement of toys such as bicycles, scooters and the like. One such variety of accessories may be generally described as so-called “noise making devices” which, as the name implies, function to provide sound accompaniment for operation of the bicycle or similar toy. Perhaps the most common type of sound producing toy used with bicycles or the like is characterized by the production of simulated engine sounds. In responding to the need for such accessories, practitioners in the art have provided a variety of sound producing apparatus.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,914 issued to Iida, et al. sets forth a SOUND PRODUCING DEVICE which is adapted to be mounted upon the handlebars of a bicycle and which is capable of producing an engine simulated noise such as that produced by a motorcycle. The device includes a housing together with an elongated handle rotatably mounted therein. The handle drives a transmission system including a striker which cyclically strikes a resonator cone to produce the desired sound. The transmission system also includes a one-way clutch for transmitting rotary movement of the handle to the striker only when the handle is rotated in a first direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,696 issued to Howland sets forth a TOY DEVICE FOR SIMULATING THE SOUND OF A MOTOR VEHICLE having a rotatable impeller that is engageable with a resonator member for producing the simulated engine sound. The resonator member is pivotally mountable into engagement with the impeller by a remote controlled actuator that simultaneously causes the motor to be energized.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,885 issued to Johnson sets forth an ENGINE NOISE SIMULATING DEVICE FOR A BICYCLE having a housing supported upon a shoulder and further supporting a resonator plate all of which is biased by a compressed spring. A resonator chamber extends from the shoulder away from the housing. A camming mechanism raises the resonator plate above the shoulder and releases is as it passes causing the resonator plate to move back against the shoulder under the spring influence and thereby produce an air compression induced sound.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,395 issued to Ryan sets forth a DEVICE FOR SIMULATING MOTOR SOUNDS having a lever action drive mechanism which is coupled to a mechanical sounding device by a plurality of speed control gears.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,565,107 issued to Hartman sets forth a MOTORBIKE SOUND SIMULATOR having an elongated flexible resilient member secured to the front fork of a bicycle by a strap and clamp mechanism. The elongated member extends into the travel path of the bicycle wheel spokes and is caused to flap against the spokes as the wheel is rotated thereby producing a sound suggestive of a motorcycle engine.
U.S. Published Application 2005/0029766 filed on behalf of Ierfone, et al. sets forth a SOUND EMITTING DEVICE supported within a hand grip of a personal transport means. The assembly comprises a package having electronically actuated sound generating apparatus and an electronic circuit to feed the signal to the sound generator. A switch within the unit is activated by the user and the sound emitted from the hand grip is distant from the switch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,493 issued to Camfield, et al. setting forth a BICYCLE WITH SIMULATED MOTORCYCLE PARTS and U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,089 issued to Iteya setting forth a MOUNTING DEVICE FOR BICYCLE COMPONENT are illustrative of related simulated apparatus used to configure a bicycle in resemblance of a motorcycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,395 issued to Henecke, sets forth a BICYCLE SPEEDOMETER TIRE DRIVE GEAR ADAPTER ASSEMBLY which provides a cable drive speedometer for use on a bicycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,751 issued to Todokoro sets forth a TOY MOTORCYCLE while Canadian Patent 2,130,226 sets forth a HANDLEBAR END BELL both of which show further variation of bicycle apparatus.
A number of early patents set forth noise making apparatus which generally operate in a mechanical manner to produce sound and thus are generally related to the present invention. These prior art patents includes U.S. Pat. No. 759,003 issued to McCann; U.S. Pat. No. 923,672 issued to Leedy; U.S. Pat. No. 1,232,603 issued to Proctor; U.S. Pat. No. 1,374,367 issued to Dodd; U.S. Pat. No. 1,544,728 issued to Diemer and U.S. Pat. No. 1,601,721 issued to Colledanchise.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,909 issued to Tsui sets forth a TOY MEDICAL MONITOR KIT while U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,588 issued to Clanton sets forth a TOY BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING DEVICE both of which are generally related to the present invention.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have, to some extent improved the art and in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore improved realistic and amusing simulated engine sound devices for use on bicycles or the like.